A Judaism Full of Heart - ShulCloud · A Judaism Full of Heart This past month has been exciting...

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A Judaism Full of Heart

This past month has been exciting and full of life. Thank you to all those who planned and came to our welcome dinner, to all who planned and came to our home for our Chanukah party and to all who planned and attended the joint Talmud Torah-EPJA Chanukah concert extravaganza which was generously sponsored by Stanlee and Jerry Rubin. Thank you to all who came to our adult education classes this past month, taught by my wife, Shoshanna Schechter-Shaffin. Thank you to all those coming to pray, light the menorah, and study Torah with us on Shabbat and throughout the week. Thank you to all those visiting the sick, giving Tzedakah, and doing all kinds of other wonderful mitzvot.

We feel so warmly embraced by the B’nai Zion community and we embrace you all. We look forward to getting to know each and every member of the congregation and to many more years of Jewish communal life together.

During the month of January, we enter the portal of the Book of Exodus. The story of Passover as it is portrayed in both the Book of Exodus and in the Haggadah has two parallel ideas. One is of physical liberation while the other is of spiritual awakening. This has a great deal to teach us at B’nai Zion and the entire American Jewish community.

God desires the heart. God wants us to be excited about our Judaism and about the potential for personal and spiritual growth that is contained within it.

As we enter the new secular year, let us get excited about our fabulous congregation and about all that it has to offer. May this next year be filled with good health and blessings and with the excitement of Jewish communal life.

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We wish you a happy and healthy 2017!

January will be a great month here at Congregation B’nai Zion! It begins with an adult learning opportunity with Shoshana Schecter-Shaffin, “In Their Own Words: Women of the Torah.” Our “Shabbat Meals to Go” on January 6th features a salmon dinner. January 7th will be a wonderful vocal recital by our very own highly talented member Kristin Kimmelman benefiting the El Paso Choral Society and Congregation B’nai Zion. On January 14th, USY will be having a dance party. If you know a USY-aged child, make certain they do not miss this event! January 21st will be the Sisterhood Shabbat. Please come out to support our Sisterhood! January 24th we are hosting a scholar in residence program, “Kreplach and Dim Sum: The Jews of China.” Save the date!

Our matched giving campaign has started off well. So far we have received over $19,000 in pledges and to date over $16,000 has been paid. This is an outstanding beginning! If you have not made your pledge, there is still time! We are trying to reach $100,000 in funds which will be matched dollar for dollar by an outside organization. You may pledge and pay in lump sum or make payments towards your pledge over the next few months. The need is great so please participate!

-Alan Cohen

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We have just marked the formal welcoming of Rabbi Shaffin to Congregation B’nai Zion. In a spiritual program we’ve just concluded, many of us gathered to greet Rabbi Shaffin, his wife Shoshanna, and their three daughters into our community.

For those who couldn’t join us, below is an adaptation of my comments and thoughts in welcoming a Rabbi into our lives. I’ve always been enamored with the writings of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. His writing, Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity, included the following:

“Now what qualifies a person to be a rabbi? What gives him the right, the privilege to represent the word of G-d to the people of G-d? If the main purpose of being a rabbi is to bring men closer to their “Father in Heaven,” then one of his supreme tasks is to pray and to teach others how to pray. To be a Jew implies the preeminence of prayer. To be able to inspire people to pray one must love his people, understand their predicaments and be sensitive to the power of exaltation, purification, and sanctification hidden in our Prayer Book. To attain such sensitivity he must commune with the great masters of the past, and learn how to pour his own dreams and anxieties into the well of prayer.”

My humble view is that it takes a special human being to act as our spiritual inspiration. Many of us have jobs or careers: physician, chef, accountant, custodian, and so on. But, to be a Rabbi is a way of life. It is a way of always being connected to G-d and to act as teacher to help others connect to G-d. This isn’t a 9-5 shift, or a 40 hour, 60 hour, or 80 hour work week. This is permanent and ongoing devotion to read, understand, teach, and lead us to live as G-d intended. To attain Jewish perfection and inspire us to do the same.

I’ve had the opportunity over the past few months to study and learn from Rabbi Shaffin. As we, a community, continue on the path of life together, supported and intertwined with each other, I pray that Rabbi Shaffin will act as a guide, just as Rabbi Leon has done for so many years.

-Shane Lipson

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“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”- Albert Einstein

Most people have favorite sayings or quotes they invoke on occasion. My favorite quote is the one above. Its wisdom constantly reminds me that I should always look for the good, the joy, the happiness in life rather than dwelling on their opposites. In recent months, I have been baffled by the offhand comments and grumbles of some of our congregation members. There is certainly room for improvement and the synagogue board and staff takes your concerns seriously. Many of those who do the most complaining are members (or non-members) who find fault in most institutions. So, I usually try to move them along to a more positive attitude and encourage them to join in services and other synagogue activities. After all, the very existence of this synagogue is a type of miracle! What started as a small synagogue in a dusty west Texas town grew into a beautiful place to congregate and worship for more than one hundred years. Many of us work to help keep this miracle alive. Will you be part of this effort? Additionally, Congregation B’nai Zion Sisterhood has been in existence for more than ninety-five years – a miracle also. I had the occasion recently to peruse the B’nai Zion archives and came across page after page of program brochures and newspaper articles about Sisterhood during the 1920s and 1930s. It was a real treat to see my husband’s grandmother, Fannie Zlabovsky, as an active participant in Sisterhood. Fannie was the Sisterhood’s second president and was the inspiration for my decision to become active in Sisterhood several years ago. Even though I never met her, I like to think that she reached out to me across the years to encourage me. My message to you as we begin 2017 is to become part of the miracle that is B’nai Zion. Attend services on Shabbos or weekday mornings or evenings. Attend events and education programs sponsored by the synagogue and the Sisterhood. Support our children by participating in Talmud Torah and USY events. Help keep the miracle alive!

In Sisterhood,Patty HutmanSisterhood [email protected]

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Sisterhood Membership Sponsors

Mitzvah sponsors:

Martha EisenbergDana Frank

Robin FurmanPatty HutmanJudy Weiser

Torah sponsors:

Leslie BeckoffBlanca Carrasco

Linda CorralMona Goldberg

Kristin KimmelmanJoan Korn

Amy MarcusLeticia Neiman

Dora RoeRose Schecter

Gail SlaterLaura TolentinoSarah Williams

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Rabbi Royi the cartoon is hidden somewhere in The Messenger. Can you spot him? Hint: It’s not on this page.

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Congregation B’nai Zion Sisterhood

Presents:Sisterhood Shabbat

2017/5777

Saturday, January 21, 20179:30 a.m.

B’nai Zion Chapel

Luncheon to follow in theFriedman Social Hall

Sisterhood members who would like to participate in the service should contact:

Blanca Carrasco at [email protected]

Patty Hutman at [email protected]

CBZ Sisterhood is affiliated with the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism

and is a member of the Pacific Southwest Region of WLCJ

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In December, BZUSY and Kadima did theirannual mitzvah

of making menorahs and delivering them to our members who live in an

assisted living community or those who are homebound....

As part of our synagogue’s goal to involve all of our students in Jewish education and programming, we are very excited to offer substantial subsidies to all B’nai Zion 4th- 12th graders to participate in Camp Ramah summer camp and USY summer programs including USY on Wheels and USY Israel SummerPilgrimage.

These incredible programs are inspiring, fun, educational, and life-changing. As one who has participated in them as a youngster, along with my own children, I highly recommend every one of our students to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity. These subsidies will provide substantial means to reduce the cost of attending these summer programs. No financial need will be required to be shown. If you are interested, please contact the synagogue office as soon as possible or me at [email protected].

Shalom,

Rabbi Stephen A. Leon

The Impact that an International Convention had on me This year, I got the opportunity to experience an International Convention (IC) in United Synagogue Youth (USY) and it truly was life changing. It was the first time I had attended and we were involved in a variety of activities. They ranged from listening to a handicapped wrestler talk about how he overcame his struggles in sports, to volunteering at Catholic Charities; which helps clothe and feed people year-round. We also socialized with other USYer’s from around the world, as close as our region, as far as Uganda and learned what it’s like to grow up in those areas. Another event during IC was elections, where we decided on the future leaders of USY. Since the Convention was in Dallas, we traveled to Fort Worth for a rodeo and ate kosher barbeque. We danced, joked, and made lifelong memories with new as well as old friends, that only the magic of an International Convention can bring. Ultimately, this International Convention had a profound impact on the way I view challenges, and gave me the opportunity to make new friends from around the globe. I am very grateful to all the people who made it possible for me to attend and look forward to the next International Convention in Chicago!Sincerely,Julian CohenBZUSY-REC VP

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SAVE THE DATE

Scholar-in-Residence Cantor Robyn Helzner Presents:

“Kreplach & Dim Sum, Yes There are Jews in China!”

at Congregation B’nai Zion on Tuesday evening, January 24, 2017.

More details to follow.

Save The DateMeet, Greet & Nosh Series

With Rabbi Royi Shaffin and his wife Shoshanna Schecter-Shaffin.

The series will take place from January until May.

Dinners will be held at various locations.

Details to follow.

In this lively presentation, renowned vocalist and storyteller Robyn Helzner shares stories, photos, video, and music to explore the extraordinary history of the Jewish communities in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Kaifeng, and traces their emergence as the fastest growing Jewish region in the world.

Robyn served as the Cantor for the United Jewish Congregation of Hong Kong and officiated at the first bar Mitzvah celebrated in Beijing, China. Robyn also leads Jewish Heritage Tours to China.

Save The Datefor Hadassah’s Shabbat Zachor at B’nai

Zion on March 10th. If you are interested in planning or participating, please contact

Debbie Cohen (915-249-6505 or [email protected]).

Look for more information in next month’s newsletter.

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Congregation B’nai Zion’s Talmud Torah and EPJA had a spectacular Pre-Chanukah celebration with

over 200 members attending. Generously sponsored by Stanlee and Gerald Rubin.

Photos by: L. Beckoff

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The city of El Paso hosted its first ever Chanukah Community Celeberation at San Jacinto Plaza in conjunction with the Jewish Federation of Greater El Paso

Photos by: Edward “Doobie” Dubowitz

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Special thanks to:

Martha and Jaime Rubinstein for sponsoring our Shabbat flowers in loving memory of Felix Rubinstein.

Guy Hauptman for sponsoring our Shabbat flowers in loving memory of Sara Hauptman.

Robin Gold for sponsoring the Seudah in loving memory of Ruby Berman.

Congregational Chanukah Celebration generously hosted by Rabbi Shaffin and family


Hadassah El Paso is very grateful for B’nai Zion’s partnership with the Community Health and Wellness Fair in November. This event would not have been as successful without the support we received from the Synagogue and the extra efforts made by the following Lupe and Kitchen Staff Arturo Alan and Office Staff

With your involvement, we achieved our goals to educate and promote health throughout the El Paso community.

Thank you very much,

Debbie CohenHadassah El PasoVP-PRAZE

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Rabbi Royi Shaffin - Patricia & Mark Hutman

Joan Korn – Happy Birthday-Eileen & Richard Armour-Rose Holland-Selma Chasens

Sandy and Tom Dula – Happy Anniversary -Miriam & Louis Rosenbaum

Beth Kurland – Happy Birthday-Miriam & Louis Rosenbaum

Dorothy Grodin- Happy Birthday -Miriam & Louis Rosenbaum

Warren Pulner- Happy Birthday -Miriam & Louis Rosenbaum

Joan Becker – Happy Birthday-Roberta Kligman

Joyce Jaffee – Congratulations on the birth of your great grandson.-Rose Holland

Mike Dipp- In honor of your special birthday-Jack Eisenberg

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PRAYERS FOR THE SICK If a relative or friend is suffering from an illness, perhaps you would like to recite a special prayer for the speedy recovery of the ailing person. Traditionally, the Hebrew name of the sick person and the Hebrew name of the sick person's mother are mentioned during the prayer. It would be helpful if you would provide us with this information when you make your request. Prayers for the recovery of the sick are customarily accompanied by a gift to a deserving charity. The merit of this kind deed arouses God's mercy and His powers of healing. Although any amount is deemed appropriate on such an occasion, a gift of CHAI - $18 - or multiples of 18 - is particularly fitting when pleading for a person's recovery from sickness. Chai in Hebrew means life. The two Hebrew letters which constitute the word - CHET and YUD - have the numerical equivalents of eight and ten respectively, together yielding the sum of eighteen. For this reason it has become a custom to give charity in the amount of CHAI when praying for the well-being of a suffering person. Enclosed please fnd a contribution in the sum of $ _____________________________________________________ Please make a Misheberach (Prayer for the recovery) for: Name (English) _________________________________________________________________________________ (Hebrew)_______________________Mother's Name (Hebrew) ___________________________________________

Morey Stein-Shari & Stuart Schwartz-Nancy & Stuart Shiloff-Arlene Ellenburg

Joan Cherno-Felicia Rubin-Gerald & Stanlee Rubin-Tibor & Anne Schaechner -Martin Slater-Bertie Siegelman-Louis & Miriam Rosenbaum-Jack Eisenberg-Alice Kasner-Brenda & Herbert Ehrlich-James Hogue-Linda & Art Corral -Beth & Myer Lipson

Allen Levine-Nancy & Stuart Shiloff-Beth & Myer Lipson

Ida Epstein-Sharna & Michael Epstein

Harris Kaplan-Alice Kasner-Linda & Art Corral

Mark Kupfer-Miriam & Louis Rosenbaum

Boris Zditowski -Henry Esquenazi

Bertha Lavis-Ruth Gniazdowitz-Rose Holland

Hirsch Kofsky-Herbert Kofsky

Gladys Slater-Arlene Ellenburg

Sylvia Heim-Rose Holland

Joan Feinberg-Arlene Feinberg

Bertha Davidoff-Joyce Davidoff

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02 – Simon Eisenberg Jacqueline Goldman Doris Gluck

03- Francine Shugart

04 - Cherryll Lieberman Judah Eisenberg Gabriel Frank Daniel Paseornek

05 - Eileen Armour David Sabal

06 - Joseph Lieb Benjamin Holzer

07 - Wilma Salzman

08 - James Holland Rose Pergricht

10 - Allyson Otis

12 - Benjamin Korn

13 - Scott Peitzer Ann Gronich

14 - Ilisa Naparstek Marvin Rubin Bernard Felsen

15 - Beth Lipson Edward Dubowitz

16 - Beverly Robinson

18 - David Schonberg

19 - Sandra Levenson Mario Aranda

20 - Lea Aida Kessel Lenore Kobren Julio Sidransky

21 - Benita Neumann

22 - Marvin Roth

23 - Guadalupe Ramos Benjamin Kuchinsky Karen Kaplowitz

24 – Laura Tolentino Sam Kobren

02 – Molly and Bernard Goldberg Robin and Richard Krasne

04 – Gail Slater and Mario Aranda

06 – Joyce and Carl Lieb

07 - Leslie and Richard Otis Lynette and Don Brown

08 - Amy and Allan Goldfarb

09 – Leslie and Richard Grodin

12 - Peggy and Andrew Feinberg

15 – Miriam and Louis Rosenbaum

16 - Linda and Nat Holzer

22 - Sara and Robert Shiloff

29 – Melinda and Meyer Marcus

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01/01 (3 Tevet)Harry GoldbergJulia WeissTaube Goldfarb

01/02 (4 Tevet)Saul Frank

01/03 (5 Tevet)Julio FreifeldMary KoortzHelaine Rosen

01/04 (6 Tevet)Mannie BlaugrundDixie Kerr

01/05 (7 Tevet)Oscar LozabnickFlorence CohenDeEtta Jane Jones

01/06 (8 Tevet)Min Spetalnick Bessie Thompson

01/07/ (9 Tevet)Alexander SchonbergAmy Gail WilsonYochel Kofsky

01/08 (10 Tevet)Sam HollandMary DiamondLeo ChayesLeonard Schuman

01/09 (11 Tevet)Rebecca MorganHelen RothIsidore DockswellDaniel Berger

01/11 (13 Tevet)Nell Carvajal

01/13 (15 Tevet)Morris Weis Susan KlahrIrvine JacobsonNathaniel FalberAnne Weiser

01/15 (17 Tevet)Gladys SlaterBertha ZditowskiEthel Hutman

01/16 (18 Tevet) Philip YellinSolomon HellerRowena Heller

01/17 (19 Tevet)Max Schecter

01/18 (20 Tevet)Cindy Lax Ardell

01/19 (21 Tevet)Ruth Gluck

01/20 (22 Tevet)Karen LichtBluma SilversteinSidney Zaben

01/21 (23 Tevet)Rose LuskeyCarolyn WarachSamuel Metzger Ruth Dula

01/22 (24 Tevet)Evelynne BelfordBlanche FelsenMiriam SuchowieckyWilliam BeleckRose WilkDaniel Zurio

01/23 (25 Tevet)Rosa MaurerVivian KatzBernard GluckNellie ChernoDon Goldman Joseph AltusFay Cohen

01/24 (26 Tevet)Steven KriselBatya Yellin

01/25 (27 Tevet)Molly de MayoDr. Jack Domnitz

01/26 (28 Tevet)Irving RubinEsther Claire BrownRobert LyonsBen Nedow

01/27 (29 Tevet)Julius Feiner Herman GoldenMordecai Aaronson

01/28 (1 Shevat)Magda SchaechnerIdelle RubinLouis RubinLeah GoldbergReize Schaechner

01/29 (2 Shevat)Phyllis ChonolesChaye HellerBertha EdelmanMary Horowitz

01/30 (3 Shevat)Sara Gluck Julius Cohen

01/31 (4 Shevat)Franklin SlusserAbraham FurmanMichael Zurio

B'nai Zion January 2017 Printed Dec 30, 2016 12:29pm

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday1 3 Tevet

ChanukahShacharit 8:30aTalmud Torah 9:00aMincha 5:00pMincha/Maariv 6:15p

2 4 TevetShacharit 7:00aMincha/Maariv 6:30p

3 5 TevetShacharit 7:00aMincha/Maariv 6:30pBoard Meeting 6:45p


5 7 TevetShacharit 7:00aMincha/Maariv 6:30pAdult Education 7:00p

6 8 TevetShacharit 7:00aCandle Lighting 4:59pKabbalat Shabbat 6:15p

7 9 Tevet VayigashTorah Study 9:00aShabbat Services 9:30aMincha 4:30pHavdalah 6:08p

8 10 TevetFast of Tevet

Shacharit 8:30aTalmud Torah 9:00aMincha 5:00p



11 13 TevetShacharit 7:00aTalmud Torah 4:00pMincha/Maariv 6:30p



14 16 Tevet VayechiTorah Study 9:00aShabbat Services 9:30aMincha 4:30pHavdalah 6:14p

15 17 TevetShacharit 8:30aTalmud Torah 9:00aMincha 5:00pMincha/Maariv 6:00p






21 23 Tevet ShemotShabbat Mevarchim

Torah Study 9:00aShabbat Services 9:30aMincha 4:30pHavdalah 6:20p

22 24 TevetTalmud Torah 9:00aShacharit 9:30aMincha 5:00p


24 26 TevetShacharit 7:00aMincha/Maariv 6:30pKreplach & Dim Sum 6:30p




28 1 Shevat VaeraRosh Chodesh Shevat

Torah Study 9:00aShabbat Services 9:30aMincha 4:30pHavdalah 6:27p

29 2 ShevatTalmud Torah 9:00aMincha 5:00p

30 3 ShevatShacharit 7:00aMincha/Maariv 6:30p

31 4 ShevatShacharit 7:00aMincha/Maariv 6:30p

A Judaism Full of Heart - ShulCloud · A Judaism Full of Heart This past month has been exciting...

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